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Planet Labs told customers on April 4 that it would indefinitely withhold imagery of Iran and the surrounding conflict zone, retroactive to March 9. The decision puts commercial satellite data access in focus as Gulf buyers assess who can control or interrupt imagery availability during a conflict.
Commercial Space
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SpaceX is aiming to secure access to at least 80,000 cell sites across the United States and is in talks with at least one major cellular infrastructure company, according to people familiar with the matter. The effort would give the company a substantial footprint for its planned wireless network.
Planet Labs told customers on April 4 that it would indefinitely withhold imagery of Iran and the surrounding conflict zone, retroactive to March 9. The decision puts commercial satellite data access in focus as Gulf buyers assess who can control or interrupt imagery availability during a conflict.
PlanetiQ is expanding its collection of GNSS radio-occultation data through back-to-back rideshare launches in October. CEO Ira Scharf says demand for the weather data is growing among both government and commercial users, underscoring the company’s effort to scale a satellite-based source of atmospheric observations.
In a SpaceNews interview, Aalyria CEO Brian Barritt discusses how networks in space are evolving, what scaling the company entails and why software interoperability matters. The conversation focuses on the software and network changes shaping how space systems connect.
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The Space Force is helping commercial space companies secure clearances for classified military work and has selected six firms for its Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve. The service also aims to field cislunar capabilities by the end of fiscal 2029, as the UK advances a separate strategy to strengthen its space sector and defenses.
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Europe’s €15.6 billion Iris² constellation is testing new approaches to managing schedule, performance and cost across public and private partners, while ClearSpace won the UK’s first national active debris-removal mission and agreed with Eutelsat to develop GEO life-extension services. Separately, Aerospacelab signed an MoU on South Korea’s K-LEO defense network, and a US startup won work on a lunar nuclear reactor.
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ESA Director-General Josef Aschbacher said the agency sees a probable shortage of Ariane 6 launchers toward the end of the decade and is discussing higher booster output with ArianeGroup and Avio. ESA expects to decide on firm action early next year, once launch-demand estimates are clearer.
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President Donald Trump called SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and asked him to remove restrictions on Starlink services in Ukraine, including limits on the military-grade Starshield system, according to reports citing U.S. officials. Administration officials have pointed to Musk for slowing service, raising questions about private control of critical wartime communications.
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